@jude1
Ex English and Drama teacher. Gardener and vegetable grower. Baker and preserver. Custodian and demonstrator of Saxonhouse. Writer and proof reader.
Apostrophes are Easy
November 13th 2025
9
We don’t actually need apostrophes: we can talk without them and still make the meaning clear. And they’ll probably eventually disappear. But if you want to impress on an application letter, it’s as well to use them correctly. And despite the efforts of some teachers to make them seem impenetrable, there is a really easy way to get them right.
You will need:
1. Decide which bit of the phrase is ‘the owner’.
You want to write about the tail that’s on a mouse? Or the cars that belong to the women? Or the crown that sits on the head of the princess? Ok, so the owners are the mouse, the women, the princess. Relax. That’s the hardest bit.
2. Now take the name of the owner...
and add an apostrophe and an s. We now have: the mouse’s tail; the women’s cars; the princess’s crown
3. Take a look at that last one.
Yes, s is written three times - but the last one is separated by an apostrophe. DO NOT start to add an e in there!
4. Just one more point..
..which frankly you’ll rarely use. If you have a plural owner which already ends in s or a double s you just need to add the apostrophe and forget about an extra s. So, if that princess happens to have another couple of sisters, you will write: the princesses’ crowns. (nb There is only an e in princesses because the word is already plural.)
5. That’s it.
I told you it is easy. Have a practice if you want. Think of people or things that might 'own' something else. And follow the easy route to perfect apostrophes.
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